#24 UNC-Pembroke Storms Back To Take Road Win Over Newberry
By: Alex Pearce, Assistant Athletic Communications Director
Story Links
NEWBERRY, S.C. – Newberry jumped out to a quick 15-0 lead over No. 24 UNC Pembroke, but the Braves picked up wins in six of the final seven bouts to take a key 26-18 victory in Conference Carolinas dual action Saturday night inside Eleazer Arena.
The Black & Gold will continue Conference Carolinas dual action Monday, January 5, as they host Allen for Youth & Club Day. Wrestling action is slated to begin at 3 p.m.
#24 UNCP AT NEWBERRY (W, 26-18)
After Newberry took a 15-0 lead after the first three bouts, Avery Buonocore got the Braves on the board with a 20-5 technical fall at 149 pounds. 12th-ranked Keegan Roberson followed with a 10-7 decision win in the 157-pound match, … more at … https://uncpbraves.com/news/2026/1/3/wrestling-storms-back-to-take-road-win-over-newberry.aspx
NCAA Women’s Bracket Set for 2026 NWCA National Duals
MANHEIM, PA – The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) has shared the NCAA Women’s bracket for the upcoming NWCA/USMC Multi-Division National Dual Meet Championships. Presented by A Better Way Athletics, Capitol Construction, and Defense Soap, this year’s event will once again take place at the University of Northern Iowa’s UNI-Dome on January 9-10, 2026.
The top eight seeds in the NCAA Women’s bracket are as follows:
- Iowa
- McKendree
- Grand Valley State
- North Central
- King
- Presbyterian
- Colorado Mesa
- Fort Hays State
Wrestling fans can catch the action-packed event featuring these top-seeded teams as they vie for the National Title in person or LIVE on FloWrestling. The complete bracket, showcasing all 16 teams competing, is available for viewing by clicking here. … more at … https://nwcaonline.com/news/2026/1/4/national-wrestling-coaches-association-ncaa-womens-bracket-set-for-2026-nwca-national-duals.aspx
And …
NWCA Releases NCAA Division III Women’s Bracket Ahead of 2026 National Duals
MANHEIM, PA – The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) has shared the NCAA D3 Women’s bracket for the upcoming NWCA/USMC Multi-Division National Dual Meet Championships. Presented by A Better Way Athletics, Capitol Construction, and Defense Soap, this year’s event will once again take place at the University of Northern Iowa’s UNI-Dome on January 9-10, 2026.
The top eight seeds in the NCAA D3 Women’s bracket are as follows:
Wartburg … more at … https://nwcaonline.com/news/2026/1/3/national-wrestling-coaches-association-nwca-releases-ncaa-division-iii-womens-bracket-ahead-of-2026-national-duals.aspx
No. 18 Missouri Claims 2026 Soldier Salute Title
The Tigers had three individual weight titles to claim the top spot
CORALVILLE, Iowa – No. 18-ranked Mizzou wrestling closed the book on the 2026 Soldier Salute in first place with 166.5 points and crowned three individual champions on Sunday, Jan. 4. Mizzou wrestlers combined to go 30-13 on the day, an impressive .698 clip. The Black and Gold tallied 15 bonus point victories, including five major decisions, four technical falls, and four falls.
Mizzou’s three champions were Mack Mauger at 125 pounds, Josh Edmond at 149 pounds, and Aeoden Sinclair at 184 pounds.
SESSION III
With 10 representatives in the semifinal round, Missouri put together an impressive third session. Eight Tigers punched their tickets into the championship match, highlighted by big wins from Seth Mendoza, Josh Edmond and Aeoden Sinclair. The third session concluded with seventh-place matches, in which true freshman David Gleason and Jarrett Stoner both picked up victories. Gleason provided an exclamation point with a pin at the 0:40 mark of his final bout.
At the conclusion of the round, Mizzou had accumulated 150 points, 5.5 ahead of second-place North Carolina. With the team title race coming down to the wire, five matches in the final session consist of head-to-head matchups between the two programs.
SILVER BRACKET
Eight total Mizzou wrestlers competed in extra matches during Session III. Five competitors claimed first place in their respective silver brackets, highlighted by Jace Roller and Peyton Westpfahl, who both secured bonus point victories on the day. One Tiger claimed a second-place finish, and two more finished … more at … https://mutigers.com/news/2026/1/4/no-18-wrestling-closes-out-soldier-salute
Huskers Down Panthers, 30-6
Behind technical fall victories from No. 12 Chance Lamer and No. 5 Antrell Taylor, the No. 6 Nebraska wrestling team moved to 7-3 on the season with a commanding 30-6 dual victory over No. 16 Northern Iowa on Saturday night at the Devaney Center.
The Huskers (7-3, 0-0 Big Ten) recorded 20 total takedowns against the Panthers (3-4, 2-0 Big 12) and won eight of 10 bouts in the victory.
Starting the night at 125, Alan Koehler fell to No. 27 Trever Anderson in a tight decision, allowing the Panthers a 3-0 start.
Nebraska answered at 133 as No. 8 Jacob Van Dee earned a 5-0 decision over No. 26 Julian Farber, evening the team score. Van Dee remains undefeated on the season with the win. At 141, No. 3 Brock Hardy gave Nebraska its first lead of the night, defeating No. 11 Cory Land, 5-1.
The Big Red extended its team score with back-to-back technical falls at 149 and 157 pounds. In his first dual victory as a Husker, Lamer recorded 19 points in a 19-4 win over Ethan Basile. Taylor followed with a dominant performance, tallying seven takedowns in a 22-6 win over RJ Weston to push Nebraska’s lead to 16-3 at intermission.
Northern Iowa responded quickly at 165, where No. 11 Ryder Downey secured a sudden-victory takedown to defeat No. 7 LJ Araujo, 3-0.
The Huskers regained momentum at 174 pounds as No. 6 Christopher Minto earned a major decision over No. 10 Jared Simma, 10-1. No. 9 Silas Allred followed with a 5-1 decision over Nick Fox at 184 and at 197 pounds, No. 12 Camden McDanel collected a 7-3 decision over John Gunderson. In his first dual appearance of the season, Harley Andrews closed out the night at heavyweight with a major decision over Adam Ahrendsen, 16-7. Andrews … more at … https://huskers.com/news/2026/01/4/huskers-down-panthers-30-6
Three UNC Wrestlers Victorious, Tar Heels Finish Runner-Up At Soldier Salute
CORALVILLE, Iowa – Three North Carolina wrestlers finished atop the podium on day two of Soldier Salute, helping the Tar Heels to a runner-up team finish.
Carolina finished the two-day tournament with 161.5 team points, trailing Missouri who capped off the event with 166.5 points.
Individually, Ethan Oakley (133), Luke Simcox (141) and Bryce Hepner (165) secured championships in their respective weight classes. The Tar Heel trio helped Carolina post 11 total placers in the tournament.
Kysen Terukina (125) and Jake Dailey (184) finished runner-up, meeting ranked wrestlers in their championship bouts.
Rounding out the individual efforts, Matthew Botello (Third – 133), Laird Root (Fourth – 157), Robert Platt (Fourth – 197), Nick O’Neill (Fifth – 141), Nicholas Fea (Fifth – 174) and Mikey Calcagno (Sixth – 197) placed for the Tar Heels.
Up next, Carolina shifts its focus to the Atlantic Coast Conference portion of the schedule, traveling to Virginia on Jan. 16. Action between the Tar Heels and Cavaliers gets underway at 7 PM, with the dual streamed on ACCNX.
Soldier Salute Day Two Results
125: Cameron Stinson Jr.
Silver Bracket Semifinals: Carson Dupill (South Dakota State) over Cameron Stinson Jr. (UNC): 12-3 MD
Silver Bracket Third-Place Match: Cameron Stinson Jr. (UNC) over Anthony Alanis (Bellarmine): 11-0 MD
125: Kysen Terukina
Semifinals: No. 13 Kysen Terukina (UNC) over Daniel Guanajuato (South Dakota State): 6-5 Dec
Final: No. 28 Mack Mauger (Missouri) over No. 13 Kysen Terukina (UNC): 7-2 Dec
133: Matthew Botello
Semifinal: Gage Walker (Missouri) over Matthew Botello (UNC): 5-1 Dec
Consolation Semifinals: Matthew Botello (UNC) over Hayden Mills (Nebraska): Fall (3:19)
Third-Place Match: Matthew Botello (UNC) over No. 22 Luke Willochell (Wyoming): Fall (1:13)
133: Ethan Oakley
Semifinals: No. 17 Ethan Oakley (UNC) over Osmany Diversent (Iowa State): Fall (1:57)
Final: No. 17 Ethan Oakley (UNC) over Gage Walker (Missouri): 4-2 Dec
141: Nick O’Neill
Consolation Semifinals: No. 31 Caedyn Ricciardi (Navy) … more at … https://goheels.com/news/2026/1/4/wrestling-three-wrestlers-victorious-tar-heels-finish-runner-up-at-soldier-salute
No. 2 Ohio State Improves to 11-0 with win in Corvallis, 41-3
Buckeyes open Big Ten dual competition Jan. 11 against No. 23 Indiana
COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 2 Ohio State improved to 11-0 on the year with a 41-3 win at Oregon State (2-1) Sunday in the final nonconference dual of the season. The bout was contested at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Oregon.
The Buckeyes led 24-0 after the first five matches, each won by bonus points. Ohio State won four of the final five bouts while allowing just one takedown in the match.
The Buckeyes open Big Ten competition at home against No. 23 Indiana at the Covelli Center Jan. 11. Match time is set for 1 p.m. with B1G+ providing the live stream.
125 – (3) Nic Bouzakis (OSU) def. (10) Maximo Renteria (ORST), TF, 19-4
Bouzakis muscled his way to the first score with a takedown followed by a Renteria escape. Bouzakis added another takedown for a 6-2 lead with under two minutes gone in the opening period. A late takedown at the end of the first upped the lead to 9-2 Buckeyes. Choosing bottom to open the second, Bouzakis escaped and quickly scored a takedown for a 13-2 advantage. The second period ended with Bouzakis leading 16-3. Renteria escaped early in the third before Bouzakis got the win by … more at … https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/news/2026/1/4/wrestling-no-2-ohio-state-improves-to-11-0-with-win-in-corvallis-41-3
No. 13 Huskies Open 2026 with 48-0 Shutout over Sioux Falls in 700th Program Win
SCSU moves to 7-1 on the season
St. Cloud, MN. – No. 13 St. Cloud State Wrestling (7-1, 4-0 NSIC) opened up 2026 with a clean sheet at Halenbeck Hall as they defeated Sioux Falls 48-0 Friday evening. SCSU captured eight bonus point victories with four falls.
Starting at 165, Gabriel Smith put six points on the board as he defeated Luke Swanson by injury. No. 14 Bryce Dagel doubled the lead for SCSU as he came away with a fall in 1:39. With a 12-0 lead, No. 4 Cole Glazier and Tyson Meyer strung together two tech fall victories at 184 and 197. Glazier won 17-2 in 3:28 while Meyer tacked on a 19-4 victory in 6:48.
Moving to 285, Jadon Mims battled into overtime against Stetson Davis with each wrestler tallying an escape point. Throughout the match, Mims created multiple underhook scoring chances where he pushed Davis out of bounds but was unable to capitalize. A scoreless overtime period would send the match into tiebreakers. Starting the tiebreaker on top after Davis’s choice, Mims put together a stellar ride as he rode Davis for the entirety of the period. In a strong position with 30 seconds of riding time, Mims would choose neutral and shutout Davis’s offense to win his bout and extend the lead to 25-0.
Going back up to 125, Ben Aranda took a 3-1 lead early in the first period against Vincent Mayberry. Following Mayberry’s escape point, he would take down Aranda and then nearly pinned him but would … more at … https://scsuhuskies.com/news/2026/1/2/wrestling-no-13-huskies-open-2026-with-48-0-shutout-over-sioux-falls-in-700th-program-win
Penn State collects Southern Scuffle title with five individual champions
Jan 4, 2026, 7:32 PM EST
by Brian Reinhardt
Individual champions from the 2026 Southern Scuffle.
CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee – Penn State only sent two of its starters, Aaron Nagao at 141 pounds and Josh Barr at 197 pounds, but just like at the last four NCAA Championships, the Nittany Lions came away with the team title at the 2026 Southern Scuffle.
Penn State captured five of the 10 individual championships and cleared second-place Penn by 20 points, 143.5-123.5. Picking up titles for the Nittany Lions were Barr, Connor Pierce (149), Joe Sealey (157), Will Henckel (174) and Asher Cunningham (184).
Little Rock had four wrestlers advance into the finals and finished in third place, with Matty Bianchi taking the 165-pound crown. Virginia Tech was the only other school outside of Penn State with multiple individual titles—bookends Eddie Ventresca at 125 pounds and Jimmy Mullen at heavyweight.
Also standing atop the podium of one of the toughest in-season tournaments were Dom Serrano of Northern Colorado at 133 pounds and Vince Cornella of Cornell at 141 pounds. Serrano was named the Outstanding Wrestler award recipient.
Complete results and archived matches from the Southern Scuffle are available at FloWrestling.com.
2026 Southern Scuffle
At Chattanooga, Tennessee, Jan. 3-4
Finals Summary
125: #3 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) dec. #20 Zeke Witt (North Dakota State), 4-1 (SV1)
A two-time All-American, Ventresca cruised to the title, not conceding a single takedown in any of his six matches. In the semifinals, he scored an 8-3 win over former Virginia Tech teammate #26 Cooper Flynn (now at Chattanooga). In the final, he notched the lone takedown of the bout 1:22 into extra time for a 4-1 win. Ranked #3 nationally and doubling his season match total this weekend, he is a perfect 3-0 all-time, including 1-0 this year, against the defending national champion Vince Robinson of NC State.
133: #16 Dom Serrano (Northern Colorado) dec. #10 Braxton Brown (Maryland), 5-4
In one of the most exciting finals matches, Serrano scored the last-second win. Tied 1-1 late in the third, Brown scored the first takedown with around 30 seconds left. After an escape, Serrano went to work and was awarded the takedown right before the final whistle. Before this weekend, Serrano had only wrestled one match. He got in five matches over the last two days, capped with … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2026/january/04/penn-state-collects-southern-scuffle-title-with-five-individual-champions
DI Live Streaming Guide (1/7 – 11/11/2026)
It’s the first full week of 2026! From here on out, the majority of the action will be in dual meet competition. A total of 29 duals will be contested (plus a dual tournament). Since it can be difficult to figure out where and when to watch all of these events, InterMat has put together a list of all of the live-streamed events occurring this week. Below are the dates/times and how to watch each match (with links).
All times Eastern
Thursday, January 8:
Buffalo at Binghamton 1:00 PM American East TV
Kent State at Rider 2:00 PM ESPN+
Appalachian State at Presbyterian 7:00 PM ESPN+
Friday, January 9:
Air Force, Army West Point, Bellarmine, Binghamton, Brown, Buffalo, Columbia, Franklin & Marshall, George Mason, Hofstra, Kent State, LIU, Lock Haven, Penn, Princeton at Lehman F&M Open 9:00 AM FloWrestling
Bloomsburg, Campbell, Central Michigan, CSU Bakersfield, Drexel, Harvard, Northern Illinois, Northern Iowa, Ohio, South Dakota State at NWCA National Duals 3:00 PM FloWrestling
Michigan State at Michigan 7:00 PM B1G+
Virginia at NC State 7:00 PM ACC Network Extra
Virginia Tech at Pittsburgh 7:00 PM ACC Network Extra … more at … https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/47_streaming-guide/di-live-streaming-guide-17-11112026-r100741/
Top 10 USA Wrestling Stories of 2025
Jan 1, 2026, 1:11 AM EST
by Richard Immel, USA Wrestling
The year-end tradition of reflection and appreciation for the sport of wrestling continues in 2025, albeit with a different voice behind the keyboard.
My longtime mentor and friend, Gary Abbott, who retired three months ago after nearly four decades of service to USA Wrestling, always enjoyed writing up his top wrestling stories of the year. It is my intent to keep this tradition alive, if anything, because I know Gary will read and enjoy. I’ll give it my best attempt to fill these (untied) shoes. Congratulations on an amazing career, Gary. Your presence around here is already missed.
Before I jump into my personal top 10 wrestling stories of 2025, I feel the urge to brag a bit on the USA Wrestling community. First off, kudos to everyone who participated in USA Wrestling this year. Whether you are an athlete, coach, parent, official, or fan, know that you made an impact. USA Wrestling shattered its membership record in the 2024-25 membership year with nearly 372k members, up 28k from the year prior. Wrestling in the U.S. has never been healthier, and that is tremendously exciting for the future.
USA Wrestling also launched USA Bracketing, its new event management platform, with great success in 2025. A special shoutout to my colleague Dave Mathews and his crew for the tireless, sometimes thankless, efforts on this project (that continue today), and for leveling up the game in the wrestling technology space. As someone who constantly thinks about preserving the history of our great sport, what a win for all of us to have a resource like USA Bracketing at our fingertips.
With the pleasantries out of the way, let’s move on to my top 10 wrestling stories of 2025.
10. Olympian Ben Askren’s inspirational recovery from a double lung transplant
At 41 years old and in seemingly great health, 2008 Olympian Ben Askren underwent the fight of his life and has come out the other side as an inspiration to all. In June 2025, Askren was hospitalized with a staph infection that progressed into pneumonia that severely damaged his lungs. He was in a coma for multiple weeks before receiving a life-saving double lung transplant. Askren has publicly documented his recovery journey through his social media platforms with the wrestling community behind him every step of the way. Askren’s initials were worn on the U.S. World Team singlets in Zagreb, Croatia. He remains #AskrenStrong as he carries on his recovery process each day.
9. Kikiniou family success—Father-son duo make U.S. Open finals; Arseni doubles up at U17 Worlds
What a year it was for the incredible Kikiniou family. Aliaksandr Kikiniou Sr. was a two-time Olympian for Belarus (2004, 2012) and immigrated to the United States, where he began competing under the U.S. banner in 2023. At age 45, Kikiniou made the finals of this year’s U.S. Open, which served as the Greco-Roman World Team Trials. As did his 18-year-old son, Aliaksandr Kikiniou Jr. Both finished as No. 2 on the U.S. National Team in Greco-Roman. … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2025/december/31/top-10-wrestling-stories-of-2025
TDR blog
After 20 seasons of publicizing wrestling The TakeDown Report’s (TDR) focus has changed to the collecting of college coaching records from North America since 1903. We will continue to recognize and reward successful wrestlers in eastern North Carolina (east of Raleigh & Fayetteville), assist with schools in starting or re-starting a team and this blog. Join us on our FaceBook Page – “The TakeDown Report” for photos and news. Please send results, stories, links and news to pass along. E-mail us at takedownreport@gmail.com
Martin Fleming, Editor
Takedown Report
Takedown Report 